Apparatus for steaming wearing apparel

ABSTRACT

An apparatus for steaming wrinkles out of wearing apparel includes a cabinet having means for suspending and, preferably, vibrating items of wearing apparel therein; means for introducing outside air into the cabinet, preferably through the lower portion thereof; and means for introducing steam into the cabinet coupled with means for varying the composition of the steam from dry through medium dry, medium wet, and wet. Means, such as an exhaust fan, is also included for removing the heated air and steam from the cabinet, preferably through the top thereof. The apparatus can have means if desired for injecting into the steam one or more chemical compounds having a beneficial effect on the wearing apparel.

United States Patent [19] Orchard APPARATUS FOR STEAMING WEARING APPAREL[75] Inventor: Melvin C. Orchard, Salt Lake City,

Utah

[73] Assignee: K. S. Cornaby, Salt Lake City, Utah [22] Filed: Apr. 10,1972 [21] Appl. No.: 242,664

[52] US. Cl. 68/6 [51] Int. Cl. D06c 1/04 [58] Field of Search 68/5 C,6; 8/149.3

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,738,946 12/1929 Chapin eta1. 8/149.3 2,120,844 6/1938 Wolfenden 8/149.3 X 2,767,568 10/1956 Pope68/5 C 2,845,786 8/1958 Chrisman.. 68/5 C 3,049,903 8/1962 Sussman....68/5 C 3,103,450 9/1963 Janson 68/5 C 1 Jan. 21, 1975 PrimaryExaminer-Robert L. Bleutge Assistant ExaminerPhilip R. Coe

Attorney, Agent, or Firm1(ay S. Cornaby [57] ABSTRACT An apparatus forsteaming wrinkles out of wearing apparel includes a cabinet having meansfor suspending and, preferably, vibrating items of wearing appareltherein; means for introducing outside air into the cabinet, preferablythrough the lower portion thereof; and means for introducing steam intothe cabinet coupled with means for varying the composition of the steamfrom dry through medium dry, medium wet, and wet. Means, such as anexhaust fan, is alsoineluded for removing the heated air and steam fromthe cabinet, preferably through the top thereof. The apparatus can havemeans if desired for injecting into-the steam one or more chemicalcompounds having a heneficial effect on the wearing apparel.

7 Claims, 5 Drawing Figures PATENTED JANZI I975 sum 3 or 3 APPARATUS FORSTEAMING WEARING APPAREL BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION This invention isrelated to apparatus for removing winkles from wearing apparel.

In the course of normal use, virtually all items of wearing apparel,from pants and dresses to coats and blouses, become wrinkled to somedegree. Many articles of clothing become sufficiently wrinkled torequire pressing or other treatment for the removal of wrinkles,although they may not be so soiled as to require cleaning. A substantialindustry has arisen over the years to care for wearing apparel bypressing or other means to remove winkles either as a step following drycleaning, or independently of a dry cleaning procedure.

Accordingly, there has been considerable demand for equipment whichwould be capable of removing wrinkles from clothing and of providing afinished appearance to the articles with as little manual handling aspossible. Various proposals have been made for exposing clothing tosteam in an enclosed area for the purpose of relaxing the fibers in theclothing and permitting the fibers to return to their original,unwrinkled shape. These earlier devices have failed to gain commercialacceptance, because there has been no way to control the degree ofwetness of the steam and the amount of heat to which the wearing apparelwas subjected. Exposure to steam having the incorrect humidity contentor excessively high temperatures for the particular type of fibers inthe garment, either resulted in inadequate wrinkle removal or caused thefibers to become so relaxed that the garment would lost its shape.Furthermore, any fabric-finishing chemicals had to be applied in aseparate step preceding or following SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Theapparatus of the invention includes an enclosed cabinet which has means,such as a door or the like, for ready access to the cabinet interior.Within the cabinet, means, such as a laterally-extending rod, isdisposed for suspending the wearing apparel therefrom, with a smallspace between each garment to permit the rapid and thorough exposure ofall parts of the garment to the atmosphere within the cabinet.Preferably, means is included for reciprocating the rod longitudinallyto vibrate the items of apparel and aid in removing the wrinkles.

Means, e.g., an aperture or the like, is also provided for introducingexternal air into the cabinet. Preferably, air-inflow is accomplishedthrough an aperture in the bottom of the cabinet. The air is heated byheating means, for example, a steam coil preferably disposed at theaperture so that the air is heated as it enters the cabinet.

The apparatus also has means, such as a perforated pipe, for introducingsteam into the cabinet to surround the wearing apparel and aid inrelaxing the fibers of the apparel. In a preferred embodiment, the steammeans includes a laterally extending pipe with-a plurality ofspaced-apart apertures therein, which pipe is disposed. for example,immediately above the air-heating means. Additional means is included inthe apparatus for varying the composition of the steam by controlledadmixing ofa source of dry steam with a source of wet steam, the sourceof wet steam can be the return flow of spent steam from the air-heatingmeans. In this manner. the precise composition of the steam coming intothe cabinet can be controlled and adjusted to best benefit the wearingapparel.

Means for removing the steam and heated air from the cabinet is includedin the apparatus. Preferably, this means includes an aperture at or nearthe top of the cabinet with an exhaust fan or the like to draw the airout of the cabinet. If desired, means can be incorporated into theapparatus for admixing one or more chemical compounds, e.g., fabricfinishers, with the steam to improve the apearance, texture and wrinkleresistance of the apparel.

Means can also be present for automatedly cycling the operation of theapparatus through a predetermined sequence of steps for treating apparelin the cabinet to steam of a particular composition and specificchemicals for fabric finishing prior to exhausting the steam and heatfrom the apparatus.

THE DRAWINGS The best mode presently contemplated of carrying out theinvention is illustrated. in the accompanying drawing, in which:

FIG. 1 is a view in perspective of the apparatus showing the interior ofthe cabinet;

FIG. 2 is a side elevation of the apparatus with the central portion cutaway;

FIG. 3 is a vertical section of the apparatus taken along line 3-3 ofFIG. I;

FIG. 4' is a vertical section taken along line 44 of FIG. 3 with thecentral portion cut away; and

FIG. 5 is a partial view in elevation taken along line 5-5 of FIG. 2,showing the motor and gears for driving a laterally extending,reciprocating suspension rod.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE ILLUSTRATED EMBODIMENT As illustrated inFIG. I, a preferred embodiment of the invention includes a four'sidedcabinet 10 which has a large door 11 for rapid and convenient access tothe interior of the cabinet. Although preferably constructed of sturdysheet metal, cabinet 10 can be fabricated of any heat-resistantmaterial, and can be insulated to reduce heat loss through convectionand provide a cool exterior surface for safety of users. For convenienceof access, a pair of doors can be substituted for single door 11.

Cabinet 10 rests upon four legs 12 respectively disposed at each cornerthereof, thereby providing sufficient space between the cabinet bottom13 and a supporting surface 14 to permit adequate air-flow from theexterior to the interior of the cabinet. The means for introducing airinto the cabinet in this embodiment includes a longitudinal aperture orvent 15 extending along cabinet bottom 13.

As illustrated in FIGS. 1, 3 and 4, means for heating the incoming airincludes a V-shaped trough 16 extending longitudinally along the lengthof vent in cabinet bottom 13. The angular bottom of trough 16 extendsthrough vent 15 below cabinet bottom 13, but remains within the lowerportions of the cabinet walls and the free air space 17 below cabinetbottom 13. The outwardly and upwardly sloping walls of trough 16 extendlaterally only far enough toward the edges of vent 15 to provideair-inflow passages between the vent edges and the trough sides, so thatincoming air flows both upwardly and outwardly toward the sides of theinterior of the cabinet. Trough 16 is enclosed at both ends and issecured to cabinet bottom 13 with braces 18 at either end thereof. Thetrough can be constructed of any suitable heat-conducting material,including a metal, such as a copper alloy.

Also forming part of the air-heating means is a U- shaped stem coil 19having arms 19a and 19b. Coil 19 extends longitudinally from one cabinetside to the other underneath cabinet bottom 13, with coil arms 19a and19b respectively disposed along either side of trough 16 adjacent theangular bottom of the trough. As illustrated, the coil arms arepreferably constructed of metal pipe. A roughened exterior with numeroussmall metal protuberances extending outwardly from the circumference ofthe pipe provide for rapid dissemination of heat from the coil interiorto trough l6 and also to the air flowing past the coil into cabinet 10.Coil 19 is preferably constructed of a heat-conducting metal, such as acopper alloy, but other suitable materials can be employed. Other pipeconfigurations can also be utilized, so long as the major objective ismet, i.e., to heat trough l6 and raise the temperature of the incomingair.

As illustrated in both FIGS. 1 and 2, the end of arm 19a of coil 19 isattached to a live, dry steam input line 20. A valve 21 on lineregulates the amount of steam entering coil arm 19a. The opposite endofthe coil, i.e., the end of arm 19b, is connected to an exhaust steamline 22 for recirculating the spent, wet steam to the steam boiler (notshown). Dry steam from line 20 circulates through coil 19 to heat theincoming air and trough l6, and then exits as spent, wet steam throughline 22.

The means for introducing steam into cabinet 10 to aid in removing thewrinkles from clothing includes an elongate steam pipe 23 extendinglongitudinally along the center interior of trough 16 approximatelymidway between the upper edge and angular bottom of the trough. Pipe 23is closed at its outer end and has a plurality of spaced-apart apertures24 therein for releasing the steam along the length of the pipe. In thisembodiment, the apertures are located along the underside of the pipe23, which is inch in diameter. However, the apertures can also beadvantageously disposed along both lateral sides of pipe 23. Thediameter of the apertures are uniform in size, and in this embodimentare about 11/64 inch in diameter to provide an approximately even rateof flow along the entire length of pipe 23. Thus, steam under pressureis forced out of apertures 24 downwardly or laterally outwardly againsttrough 16 and is further heated by contact with the hot surface oftrough 16 before rising to envelop the apparel in the cabinet.

Steam pipe 23 is connected with an extension 20a of steam input line 20beyond the point at which heating coil arm 19a connects into line 20.The flow of steam through line 200 into pipe 23 is controlled by anelectrically operated solenoid valve 25, which is actuated by anelectrical timer (described below) connected with the valve throughelectrical lead 26. When valve 25 is open, live steam passes throughline 20a into pipe 23.

An additional feature is the inclusion of means for injecting chemicalcompouds, such as fabric finishers and the like, into the steam flowingthrough line 20a into pipe 23. A line 27 for feeding the chemicalcompound into the steam line connects with line 20a between valve 25 andpipe 23. The flow of chemicals into the steam is regulated by a valve 28attached to line 27. Valve 28 can either be manually operated (as shown)or can be attached to a solenoid for automated operation. Line 27advantageously extends into a container for chemicals (not shown), orcan be connected to a permanently installed line from an outside sourceof chemicals.

The composition of the steam entering pipe 23 can be varied according toneed by manually adjusting a valve 29 which controls the flow of spentor wet steam from steam return line 22 through line 30 to line 20a.Valve 29 can also be operated by a solenoid or the like for automatedoperation. Dry steam contains virtually no moisture or condensed waterin it; whereas wet steam from the steam return line often contains 50percent condensed moisture. By adjusting valve 29, the composition ofsteam entering cabinet 10 can be varied from about 0 percent moisture(dry steam) to about 10 percent moisture (medium dru), to about 25percent moisture (medium wet), and upwards to about 50 percent moisture(wet steam). In this manner, use is made of the spent steam from theheating coil to admix with the live, dry steam to effect a significanteconomy of cost and equipment.

As illustrated in FIGS. 1, 2, and 5, the means for suspending articlesof clothing in cabinet 10 includes an elongate reciprocable rod 31 whichextends longitudinally across the width of cabinet 10 and appropriatedistance above cabinet bottom 13 so that the clothing does not touchtrough 16 or bottom 13. Rod 31 has a plurality of spaced-apart notches32 along its upper surface adapted to accommodate clothing hangers. Rod31 is secured within cabinet 10 by means ofa pair of brackets 33, 34fixedly attached respectively to each end of rod 31 and adapted toreciprocate within respective guide ways 35, 36 attached to the sidewalls of cabinet 10.

Rod 31 is adapted to be reciprocated within cabinet 10 to impart motionto the clothing to shake out the wrinkles as they are exposed to steam.As shown in FIG, 5, the reciprocating means includes bracket 34 whichextends through guide way 36 exteriorly of the cabinet and is moveablyconnected at its outer end to one end of a short bar 37, which ispivotally connected at its other end to drive wheel 38. As drive wheel38 is rotated by a pulley 39 and a motor 40, mounted on control box 41,clothing rod 31 is smoothly reciprocated within the cabinet, so as toretain the hangers within the notches and to avoid hanger fatigue.

At timed intervals, the heated air and steam within cabinet 10 areremoved through a duct 42, in the upper end of cabinet 10, as shown inFIG. 4, and exhausted to the ambient atmosphere by means of an exhaustfan 43 mounted in a housing 44 on top of cabinet 10. Although fan 43 isshown axially horizontal in the illustrated embodiment, the fan can alsobe disposed with its axis disposed along the vertical at duct 42. Fan 43is rotated by a motor 45 which is controlled through a timed switch incontrol box 41.

Control box 41 contains a timer and switch 46 for controlling the lengthof time live steam is introduced into cabinet 10. An exhaust timer andswitch 47 control the period of time for exhausting the heated air andsteam from the cabinet. Other controls include a power switch 48 and apower light 49 to indicated when the apparatus is on. Additionalcontrols can be added to provide for timed introduction of chemicalsinto the steam, and for varying the composition of steam according topre-determined sequences.

Other embodiments of the invention have a double or triple set of airheating and steam injection means in the cabinet bottom for largercabinets holding greater numbers of garments.

Whereas this invention is illustrated and described herein with respectto certain preferred forms, it is to be understood that many variationsare possible without departing from the inventive concept particularlypointed out in the claims.

I claim:

1. Apparatus for steaming wrinkles out of wearing apparel, comprising incombination:

an enclosed cabinet having means for access to the interior thereof;

means for suspending items of wearing apparel within the cabinet;

means for introducing air into the cabinet including an elongatedaperture extending laterally along the cabinet bottom, through whichexterior air can flow into the cabinet;

means for heating said incoming air comprising at least one U-shapedcoil extending laterally along the aperture in the cabinet bottom, andat least one elongate, V-shaped trough extending longitudinally alongthe aperture disposed between, and extending above, the lateral arms ofthe U-shaped coil;

said coil being adapted for connection to a source of steam for heatingthe coil and the V-shaped trough;

means forintroducing steam into the cabinet;

means for varying the composition of said steam from dry steam to wetsteam; and means for exhausting said heated air and steam from thecabinet.

2. Apparatus as set forth in claim 1 including means for introducing achemical compound having a beneficial effect on the wearing apparel intothe steam.

3. Apparatus as set forth in claim I, wherein the means for introducingsteam into the cabinet includes an elongate pipe extending laterallyalong and within the V-shaped trough, said pipe being adapted forconnection at one end thereof with a source of steam and having aplurality of spaced-apart apertures disposed along the lateral sides ofthe pipe.

4. Apparatus as set forth in claim 1, wherein the means for varying thecomposition of the steam introduced into the cabinet includes valvingmeans for admixing a source of dry steam and a source of wet steam inpredetermined proportions for introduction of the admixture into thecabinet.

5. Apparatus as set forth in claim 4, wherein the means for heating theincoming air is a steamline, and the source of wet steam for admixingwith thesource of dry steam comprises the spent steam from the airheating line.

6. Apparatus as set forth in claim 1, wherein the means for exhaustingthe heated air and steam from the cabinet includes a vent in the top ofthe cabinet and an exhaust fan disposed at the vent.

7. Apparatus as set forth in claim 1, wherein said means for suspendingwearing apparel includes a laterally disposed bar having a plurality ofspaced apart notches along the upper surface thereof and having means,for inducing lateral, reciprocating motion in the bar.

1. Apparatus for steaming wrinkles out of wearing apparel, comprising incombination: an enclosed cabinet having means for access to the interiorthereof; means for suSpending items of wearing apparel within thecabinet; means for introducing air into the cabinet including anelongated aperture extending laterally along the cabinet bottom, throughwhich exterior air can flow into the cabinet; means for heating saidincoming air comprising at least one Ushaped coil extending laterallyalong the aperture in the cabinet bottom, and at least one elongate,V-shaped trough extending longitudinally along the aperture disposedbetween, and extending above, the lateral arms of the U-shaped coil;said coil being adapted for connection to a source of steam for heatingthe coil and the V-shaped trough; means for introducing steam into thecabinet; means for varying the composition of said steam from dry steamto wet steam; and means for exhausting said heated air and steam fromthe cabinet.
 2. Apparatus as set forth in claim 1 including means forintroducing a chemical compound having a beneficial effect on thewearing apparel into the steam.
 3. Apparatus as set forth in claim 1,wherein the means for introducing steam into the cabinet includes anelongate pipe extending laterally along and within the V-shaped trough,said pipe being adapted for connection at one end thereof with a sourceof steam and having a plurality of spaced-apart apertures disposed alongthe lateral sides of the pipe.
 4. Apparatus as set forth in claim 1,wherein the means for varying the composition of the steam introducedinto the cabinet includes valving means for admixing a source of drysteam and a source of wet steam in predetermined proportions forintroduction of the admixture into the cabinet.
 5. Apparatus as setforth in claim 4, wherein the means for heating the incoming air is asteam line, and the source of wet steam for admixing with the source ofdry steam comprises the spent steam from the air heating line. 6.Apparatus as set forth in claim 1, wherein the means for exhausting theheated air and steam from the cabinet includes a vent in the top of thecabinet and an exhaust fan disposed at the vent.
 7. Apparatus as setforth in claim 1, wherein said means for suspending wearing apparelincludes a laterally disposed bar having a plurality of spaced apartnotches along the upper surface thereof and having means, for inducinglateral, reciprocating motion in the bar.